Boris Kamchev

BORIS@LUBESNGREASES.COM

Staff Writer - Boris is a staff writer focused on Eastern Europe, Russia and the ex-Soviet lubricant industry. Prior to joining Lubes’n’Greases in 2010, Boris was a Russia-based reporter for several Macedonian news outlets. He had a 16-month stint as a business reporter for The St. Petersburg Times and contributed analyses to an English-language outlet of RIA Novosti, a Russian state news agency. Boris often travels to St. Petersburg, Washington, D.C. and Skopje. Recently, he has also begun a part-time engagement as a foreign correspondent for North Macedonia’s state news agency, MIA.

Recent Articles

Shell Ready to Make Sustainable Aviation Lubricants

Shell Ready to Make Sustainable Aviation Lubricants

Shell will start to offering sustainable aviation lubricants.

Eurasian Union Updates Technical Regulation

Eurasian Union Updates Technical Regulation

The Eurasian Economic Union of former Soviet republics updated its technical regulation for lubricants, oils and special …

Chinese Cars Won’t Affect Russia’s Lube Market

Chinese Cars Won’t Affect Russia’s Lube Market

Russia imported 227,000 passenger cars in the first half of 2023 – more than tripling the amount in the same period la …

Rerefinery Planned in Russia’s Tula Oblast

Rerefinery Planned in Russia’s Tula Oblast

A public-private partnership to build a rerefinery capable of producing base oils was announced recently during an event …

Belarus Additives Joint Venture Expands

Belarus Additives Joint Venture Expands

Additech, a lubricant additive joint venture between the Russian and Belarus oil majors Lukoil and Naftan, expanded its …

Romanian Official Speculates About Lukoil Exit

Romanian Official Speculates About Lukoil Exit

After it sold a refinery in Italy, a Romanian official speculated recently that Russian oil major Lukoil could sell its …

TAIF Plant Now Makes Esters, Polyalkylene Glycol

TAIF Plant Now Makes Esters, Polyalkylene Glycol

Russia’s only polyalphaolefins complex now can also produce polyalkylene glycols and complex esters, after completing …

Russian Motor Group Complains of Lube Shortage

Russian Motor Group Complains of Lube Shortage

A Russian motorist group complained to the central government last week that the country faces a growing shortage of aut …

Georgia Lubricant Imports Increase

Georgia Lubricant Imports Increase

Georgia imported almost 8,930 tons of finished lubricants from January through May, up 9% from the same period last year …

Motul, Valvoline Top Poland Motor Oil Survey

Motul, Valvoline Top Poland Motor Oil Survey

Motul and Valvoline were the top-rated brands in Poland last year according to a survey conducted throughout the year by …

Poland May Exempt Recyclers from Licensing

Poland May Exempt Recyclers from Licensing

As part of an effort to combat illicit trade and tax dodging, Poland’s government plans to begin requiring licenses fo …

Developing Fire-resistant Turbine Oils for Russia

Developing Fire-resistant Turbine Oils for Russia

The fire-resistant synthetic turbine oils consumed in Russia are mostly imported products formulated with trixylenyl pho …

Hill Plans Rerefinery in Lithuania

Hill Plans Rerefinery in Lithuania

Kazakhstan’s Hill Group expects to break ground in Lithuania soon on an API Group II base oil rerefinery. The project …

Russian Lube Imports and Exports Fell in 2022

Russian Lube Imports and Exports Fell in 2022

Russia’s lubricant market stagnated in 2022, hampered by lower industrial output in sectors such as automobiles, machi …

Algerian Distributor Opens Blending Plant

Algerian Distributor Opens Blending Plant

Aiming to serve what it describes as a vibrant Algerian transportation market, petroleum products distributor Petro Bara …

Lube Imports to Georgia Increase

Lube Imports to Georgia Increase

Georgia imported almost 7,000 metric tons of finished lubricants from January through April of this year, up 7% compared …

Taif’s PAO Plant Upgrade Completed

Taif’s PAO Plant Upgrade Completed

Russia’s only polyalphaolefins complex now can also produce polyalkylene glycols and complex esters, after completing …

Lukoil’s Output of Lubes Rose, Base Oils Fell

Lukoil’s Output of Lubes Rose, Base Oils Fell

Base oil production by Lukoil fell 7% last year, while its finished lube output increased 2%, partly driven by its acqui …